{Inspiring Interview} with Meytal + a cute to-do list printable!

Today I am happy to showcase the creative businesses of Meytal Ron the creator of Jolinne, HoneyBoo & BabyZoo on Etsy! Her work is full of sweetness and captures the innocent joy of childhood and creating. Meytal’s shops offer a range of handmade wall art, printables and decor for children as well as inspirational prints. Meytal’s story as a small business owner who turned her hobby into a full time job is also inspiring for those of you who are dreaming of quitting your day jobs.

Meytal joined in our Spring Cleaning theme and created an adorable to-do list printable for you to help make all those chores a little bit cuter….

And now for my interview with the lovely Meytal + a peek at her creative workspace….

Hi Meytal, I am excited to have you here on OMHG! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself & your shops?

Hi! My name is Meytal, I was born and raised in Israel, Tel Aviv. My professional career began as a 3-dimensional graphic designer for a high-tech company. Through the years I have changed companies and positions, gaining more knowledge and skills in digital graphic programs and designs along the way. In parallel I started inventing some art designs, and that’s how I came to create ‘Jolinne’. Art was always inside of me. I’ve loved drawing, painting and illustrating as long as I can remember. In many ways “Jolinne” is the child in me: I can see myself through her, the colors I use represent my feelings as a child and the things she does are things I did or imagined as a little girl.

I love painting, I love creating. I love dreaming and fantasizing. I love meeting new interesting people. I love learning new things. I love music. I love to love. My paintings are inspired by all of these.

My shop, Honeyboo, is the other side of me, which I’m expressing mainly through colors and positive thinking. It is designed to make people smile and feel optimistic.

I usually wake up around 7 a.m., sit on the porch and enjoy 15 minutes of early morning air and my bowl of cereal.

I then get dressed, turn on the radio and my computer and begin my work day by communicating with my customers, answering convos, replying to emails, checking the Etsy Forums and blog, commenting on Facebook and renewing 1-2 items from my shops.

After I finish wrapping and packing new orders and getting them ready to ship, I go over my endless list of things to do and decide what to do first.

I spend the next few hours implementing that check list, working on my design projects, and reading important things I’ve bookmarked that can help me market and grow my business, all the while constantly checking for new email — a habit I must get rid of!

Lunch and then my walk to the post office.

Only a few more hours until my work day is over and my husband (as of a week ago returns home from work. We then spend our evening together, eat dinner, talk, maybe go the gym, and watch TV. In our time together I try to stay away from my computer and only renew a few items and check for new convos and emails before we go to bed.

Our theme this month on OMHG is Spring Cleaning, how do you (or don’t you!) keep your creative workspace organized?

Oh my! I try, really try, to keep it organized and still, my desk always looks like a Tornado has just passed through!

The “organized” version of my workspace (like in the photo) never seems to last long enough!

You have been selling on Etsy since 2009, what are a couple of the biggest lessons you have learned about being successful selling your work online?

Although I have an accountant to help me with all financial stuff, I didn’t realize at the beginning how important it is to be organized with financials on a regular basis. I was overwhelmed with the amount of time I needed to invest in order to track everything at the end of the year. Now I do my best to track and keep everything financial organized on a monthly basis.

Besides that, I learned that a business has to have a business plan! At first I just wanted to paint and sell my art. It was more like a hobby than a business. As my business grew I realized a business plan was in need! So I brainstormed with my husband and we came up with an organized business plan. We set our goals, decided on a spending budget, and we keep track and reevaluate according to the business growth.

What inspires you to create?

Well, I’m inspired mostly by every day life! I love music, I’m inspired a lot by music, by nature, by emotions, by little boys and girls naivety and happiness, by my own fantasies and by small, simple things in life that happen every day…

Learn more about Meytal and her work by visiting her website, following her on Twitter and liking her page on Facebook

about the author

Jessika Hepburn has written 540 posts on Oh My! Handmade Goodness.
A cheerful activist and community matchmaker I delight in using my connection superpowers to bring makers and entrepreneurs together in ways that lift us all up. I believe in cooperation over competition, relentless good cheer as an act of rebellion, and the power of using our hands to craft a brilliant future. OMHG is part social enterprise, part grand experiment, and all goodness-so pull up a chair or pitch in a hand to join in creating our supportive community!Visit this Author's Contributor Page